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I know I cover opioid abuse a lot, it’s one of Representative Greg Walden’s (R-Hood River) pet passions. But what does opioid abuse have to do with agricultural reports? It is a huge victimizer of people in rural settings. That said, Representative Walden, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has issued a statement after the Senate passed the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018. “I applaud the Senate for passing critical legislation to help combat the opioid crisis, which is taking the lives of more Oregonians than traffic accidents. With the House’s overwhelmingly bipartisan passage of my legislation, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, in June, the Senate’s actions clear the way for the House and Senate to iron out the differences in our proposals. This is an important step forward in our collective fight to end this epidemic that takes 115 American lives each and every day. Victims and families in Oregon cannot wait any longer, and I look forward to continuing to work to advance a final legislative package that will be signed into law.”